Foreword

Foreword T he teachings of religion are concerned not with empty abstractions but with the eternal truths of the universe. The only way to salvation lies in our acceptance of and submission to these truths, just as we adapt our lives to the brilliance of the sun, whose rays we can neither stop nor dim. To these truths we can adopt an attitude neither of denial nor of indifference. Relate to them we must, or we shall find ourselves on the path to eternal damnation. If we are to have the benefit of religious teachings, the safest and surest way is through divine revelation — the message of the Lord of the Universe conveyed by His messengers to mankind. Speaking of the doubts raised by ancient, pre-Islamic nations about the verity of the mes-sengers’ appeal and about their status as true apostles of God, the Quran records how the apostles argued, “Is there any doubt about God, the Originator of the heavens and earth?” (14:10), thereby indicating that the truth of their message was based on nature. Nature’s manifestations all around us in the form of the earth and heavens are observable evidence of the truth of the teachings, which the prophets presented as a matter of theory. This argument in favour of religion is still as pertinent and as valid today as it was in bygone ages. Whereas in ancient times man understood little of the phenomena of the earth and heavens, in the present-day human knowledge of these matters has increased enormously and, far from lessening the importance of this argument has, through modern research, consolidated and reinforced the teachings of the Prophet.